Say Goodbye to the Treasure Valley Toys R Us Store

For most of us, an iconic part of our childhood has announced they are shutting down stores across the country, and that includes Toys R Us here in the Treasure Valley.

The company made the announcement today, sharing that they plan to close or sell all 800 stores they presently operate across the United States. This could impact as many as 33,000 jobs. The company has operated for more than sixty years.

In the Treasure Valley, we have the join Toys R Us and Babies R Us store at the Village at Meridian. Idaho will also see the Idaho Falls store closing as well.

Though not a surprise, since the final "big box" toy retailer had filed for bankruptcy last year, it does mark the end of an era and demonstrates the changing way we shop for everything, including toys. Retailers like Walmart and online competitors like Amazon.com have brought competition to the Toys R Us model, and the company has not been able to find a buyer to take on their nearly $8 billion in debt.

The company had already announced plans to lose their stores in England, and had launched a plan to scale back on the the number of U.S. stores. Instead, they have stopped paying suppliers, and determined the need to shut down.